Rotary engine.



McKEE COOPER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APRLICATION FILED MAY.I0.1918.

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ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

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ATTOR NEY McKEE COOPER.

BOTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I0. 1918.

Patented Apr. 29,1919.

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aoraar nrrerma Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23), 1919.

application filed may 10, 1918. Serial No. 233,741.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, MOKEE COOPER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention. relates to internal combustion engines, and more especially to those of the rotary type wherein the rotor is driven by impact.

The primary object of the lnventlon 1s to utilize the expanded and burnt gases as the fluid agent for driving the rotor.

A secondary object is to use the pistons for compressing the gaseous mixture.

Another object is to avoid the use of mechanically operated valves, and to substitute automatic valves through the engine.

A final object is to simplify parts, reduce the number and cost, and yet increase the resulting power.

Details are set forth in the following specification and claims, and reference is made to the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of this engine complete,

Fig. 2 a plan view thereof,

Fig. 3 a cross section through the casing and rotor at the left end of Fig. 2 on the line 33 thereof,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line H of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 a similar detail on the line 5-5 thereof,

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of another form of throttle valve.

ounted on a base plate 1 are the upright cylinders 2, herein shown as four in number and cast en bloc. Pistons 3 reciprocate therein, and the connecting rods 4 shown only in Fig. 4 lead downward to a main crank shaft which need not be illustrated. It is continued to the rear and appears at the left of Fig. 1 at 5 where it constitutes the driving shaft, and its cranked front end rotates within the crank case illustrated at 6 in the same view. Rising from the base plate 1 are brackets 7 arranged in pairs as seen in Fig. 2, and between them are disposed longitudinal tanks 8 which are of considerable size and strength and extend along opposite sides of the series of cylinders. These are closed at one end at 9 and connected at the other end by couplings 10 with a cross pipe 11 and a T-coupling 12, from whose stem the motive fluid flows through a throttle valve 13 and pipe 14 to a box 15 for use-as described below. In Figs. 1 and 2 the throttle valve is shown as controlled by a hand wheel 16, whereas in Fig. 6 I have shown a throttle valve 17 of the butterfly type whose stem on the exterior of its casing will have a swinging handle as well understood. I do not wish to be limited to the type of valve herein employed, and I might say also that the valves hereinafter described may be of any appropriate type consistent with the uses to which they are to be put. A gage 18 may be connected at a suitable point within the fluid conduit just described. which latter it will be understood leads from both tanks 8 into the box 15.

s suggested above, the motive fluid is the expanded gases of combustion, produced by compressing a mixture of gasolene vapor and branch 22 leads to each cylinder 2, a check valve 23 openingtoward the cylinder being interposed at a suitable point in the branch as seen in Fig. 4 or possibly in the head of the cylinder itself'if desired.

interior may be called the combustion chamber 25 because combustion is produced therein by means of the spark of the plug 26. I have omitted illustration of th wiring and the sparking system, and these may take any form desired. The inlet to the compression chamber from the head of the cylinder 2 is controlled by means of a spring-closed inlet valve 27 which opens toward the box 24. The outlet from the compression chamber into the tank 8 is controlled bya springclosed valve 28 which opens toward the tank 8. By preference the tension of the spring controlling the outlet valve 28 is considerably greater than the tension of the spring controlling the inlet valve 27. I would not be limited as to the structure of these valves or springs, and those illustrated are merely typical. Also the construction thus far described would be practically the same for an engine having a larger number of cylinders.

The rotary portion of this improved engreater gine is shownv at the left of Figs. 1 and 2, and in section in Fig. 3. Its wheel comprises a rotor 30 having radial or peripheral blades or buckets 31. the main shaft 5 and turns within a. cylindrical casing 32, and the motive fluid is directed tangentially into and through the periphery of this casing at a pluralit of points by nozzles as shown at 33. here will preferably be four of these nozzles or jet pipes at least, and there might be a number. Each is supplied by a branch 34 from the box 15 which therefore constitutes a distributing chamber, and the pur ose is to split up the bulk of motive passing through the conduit 14:.and direct it toward the. rotor in the shape of a plurality of jets at various points so that its impact thereon will be applied simultaneously, constantly, and evenly. While I have shown this type of rotor, I do not wish to be limited thereto. The rotor turns the main shaft, and the cranks of the latter drive the connecting rods 4 and reciprocate the pistons. These in effect therefore act as pumps, and each on its downward stroke sucks the mixture from the inlet manifold, while on its upward stroke it delivers the mixture under compression throu h the valve 27 into the combustion cha-m r 25.

Here explosion takes placeat the spark 26 which of course seats the valve 27 and opens the outlet valve 28. The expanded mixture which now takes the shape of the burnt gases is therefore delivered into the tank 8, and, as shown each tank receives the charges from two compression chambers if the engine has four cylinders. While a charge from one combustion chamber 25 is being delivered into the tank, the valve 28 from the other combustion chamber closes automatically.

Thus it will be seen that each piston pumps a charge into the tank, and thence into the motive fluid conduit at every revolution of the shaft, and hence the piston is useful on every stroke instead of on every other stroke as in the ordinary four-cycle internal combustion engine. The cylinders and pistons may be only sufiiciently strong to withstand the force of compressing the initial gas, because the explosion takes place in the several boxes 24. The increased expansive force of the exploded gas is immediately supplied to one tank or the other, and hence the tanks should be of sufiicient strength to withstand it. But 'I find that it is a simpler and cheaper matter to make the boxes and the tanks strong, as well as all elements of the conduit which conducts the motive fluid to the rotary element, than it is 'to make the pistons and cylinders strong enough to withstand the force of the explosion. n other words, the cost of producing this engine is greatly decreased if he rotor is keyed on.

invention. It is to be un erstood that I may 4 make such changes in construction and arrangement and combination of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:.- v

1. In an engine of the type described, the combination with a main shaft, a rotor mounted thereon, a casin inclosing said rotor and having nozzles irected through its wall, and a box having branch pi es leading to said nozzles, of a series 0 pumps comprising a row of upright cylinders and pistons therein reciprocated by said main shaft, a series of explosion chambers, each connected to its respective cylinder, tanks on opposite sides of said cylinders inclosed at one end, a connection between their other ends, said explosion chambers communicat ing with said tanks, one half of the number of explosion chambers communicating with one tank and one half with the other tank, a motive fluid conduit between said connection and box, a throttle valve within the length of said conduit, and a valve connection between the outlet end of each cylinder and its respective explosion chamber.

2. In an engine of the type described, the combination with a rotary element, a main shaft on which it is mounted, a pair of tanks a motive fluid conduit leading from sai tank-to said element, of a row of upright pumps disposed between said tanks, means for driving the pump from said main shaft, an explosion chamber connectin let end of each pump cylinder with one of said tanks, and an automatically closin check valve for controlling the flow of flui from the pump through the explosion chamber to said tank.

3. In an engine of the type described, the combination with a rotary element, a main shaft on which it is mounted, a pair of tanks, and a motive fluid conduit leading from said tanks to said element; of a row of upright pumps disposed between said tanks, means for driving them from said main shaft, a box connecting the outlet end of each pump-cylinder with one of said tanks, a valve between the pump-cylinder and box opening toward the latter, a valve the outbetween the box and tank opening toward the latter, and means within the box for exploding the charge therein.

In an engine of the type described, the combination with a rotary element, a main shaft on which it is mounted, a pair of tanks, and a motive fluid conduit leading from said tanks to said element; of a row of upright pumps disposed between said tanks, means for driving them from said main shaft, a box connecting the outlet end of each pump-cylinder with one of said tanks, means for admitting an explosive charge to the upper end of the pump-cylinder and for admitting the compressed charge therefrom to the box, valves regulating the flow of such mixture, an automatically closing outlet valve between'the box and tank, and charge-igniting mechanism within the box. 5. In an engine of the type described, the combination with a rotary element, a main shaft on which its rotor is mounted, a row of cylinders, reciprocating pistons therein connected with cranks on said main shaft, a carbureter, inlet manifold, branches there: from to the several cylinders, and check valves in said branches; of tanks alongside the cylinders, a conduit connecting them with said rotary element, a box secured to the head of each cylinder and the adjacent tank and containing a combustion chamber, and spring-closed valves from the cylinder to the box and from the box to the tank.

6. In an engine of the type described, the combination with a rotary element, a main shaft on which its rotor is mounted, a row of cylinders, reciprocating pistons therein connected with cranks on said main shaft, a carbureter, inlet manifold, branches there from to the several cylinders, and check valves in said branches; of tanks alongside the cylinders, a conduit connecting them with said rotary element, a box secured to the head of each cylinder and the adjacent tank and containing a combustion chamber, an upwardly-opening inlet valve from the cylinder to the box, a downwardly-opening outlet valve from the box to the tank, sprin s holdin said valves normally closed and t e outlet valve with greater force than the inlet, and charge-igniting mechanism on the interior of said box.

In testimony whereof I .aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

McKEE COOPER. Witnesses:

JOHN E. BURCH, IDA WomF. 

